Former Ryder Cup player Thorbjorn Olesen and Ryan Fox shared a one-shot lead following the first round of the British Masters on Thursday.

Both shot rounds of 66 to finish the day on six under par, while a trio of players — Hurly Long, Richie Ramsay and Ashun Wu — completed rounds of 67 to lie joint-third.

“It’s a fun golf course to play,” Fox said. “I grew up on this kind of grass as well so it fits quite nicely in my head. I kind of know what it’s going to do and how it’s going to react. Just go out and try and hit a couple of shots, and I did that pretty well.”

Antonio Garrido, 78, who won the first event on the European Tour 50 years ago, enjoyed the honour of hitting the ceremonial tee shot at the start of play.